Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1887-03-29
Edward S. Springs Favorable
Opinion of the Ledge.
a BIG STRETCH OF GOOD
ORE. AND CROSsCUTTING
ABOUT TO BEGIN.
The Splendid Prospects of the
Middle Group The Con. vir-
ginia Gas-ROnanzas
RaArRnh I'm

of the San Francisco Evening Post
was In Carson yesterday, on his
way back to the Bay after having
spent weeks vacation in the min
ing and other sections of Nevada
and California along the line of the
Carson and Colorado Railroad. Mr..
Spring 5 visit to our State was for
the purpose of rest and recreation
he having been greatly over work ed
in managing the defense of the
great libel suit for an aggregate of
$75, 900 damages brought against
the Post nine years ago by Marion
Jasper Mcdonald of Jack Rabbit,
Leopard, Panther, Trojan and other
wildcat fame, and which case has
just been decided IN favor of the
Post by awarding Mcdonald 81
damages as the price of his charac-
ter. AS Mr.. Spring had just visited
the Comstock lode on his return
trip the APPEAL brought out its
diamond drill and probed him to
obtain his views upon the general
condition of the mines and such
other items of interest to those who
are holding stocks as he might
have.
This has been your first visit to
the Comstock, Mr.. Spring. You
are doubtless surprised at the mag
nltude of the operations there; the
great machinery etc?' asked the
APPEAL reporter.
oh no! Although this has been
the first time [ have set foot on the
great lode | have been perfectly ia
miliar with all its workings during
the twelve years that / have been
writing about it in the Post. As
for the ponderous pumping and
hoistlng machinery nearly all of it
has been constructed In San Fran
cisco and / have seeh and examined
it in the foundries and machine
shops before it was shipped. As
for the workings In the lower lew
els l have seen nearly all the pri-
vate and official maps and surveys
which have been sent to the officials
from time to time, and / read
most of the private letters and
kilograms of the Superintend-
ents. l have thus been able to
keep pace with the work and to
watch the progress of nearly every
drift, erosscut. winze and shaft that
has been started and to ascertain
the showing from day to day in the
same. During the last few days
that have been on the lode / have
been able to go almost unaccom-
panied anywhere | wished, for |
had the whole plan in my mind"
What is your general impression
of the condition of the Comstock
mInes?"
1T has not been so favorable in
the last ten years"
Not during the Sierra Nevada
deal@" asked the APPEAL reporter.
Not even then; because the
market was then dependent upon
the showing in one mine, while now
there are at least FIVE mines on the
lode which distinctively have good
developments of ore, outside of
mines which are known and recog-
nized as milling propositions, where
none but the insiders get any bene
fit from working the ores. The
suspension Of deep mining in the
lode seems thus far to have accom-
plished much good, for it has re-
lieved assessment payers OF a heavy
burden and has led to the re- explor-
alton of large blocks Of ground in
the upper levels where the work
can be carried on safely, rapidly
and economically. While sinking
had been going on the great thing
was to avoid the water. When a
Superintendent would tap a very
wet place which would not drain
out right away he would leave it
and go to another point where the
ground was drier. Hence it was
that so large an area of unexplored
ground was left behind. Now dur
ing all the years that mining has
been carried on at the great depth
Of from 1000 to 1900 feet all this
upper ground left behind intact
has been gradually draining ont